In the construction of tires, the tire components from which the tires are built are generally stored in stock rolls between adjacent convolutions of a liner for later delivery by a tire component servicer to a tire building machine where the components are applied to an expansible drum or the like to build the tire carcasses. As many different types of tire carcasses, such as two-ply, four-ply, belted, radical, etc., can be built, each requires a different number of components, and thus, a different number of carriers for the components in a servicer. In addition, tires vary in size and so must the components therefor and different sizes of carriers for the components are required to accommodate the different sizes of components. Finally, substantial modification of the basic servicer construction may be required to equip the same with desirable optional components as required. Therefore, in the past, servicers were generally necessarily custom-made for each manufacturer of tires depending on the particular type or size of tire to be manufactured. Versatility, flexibility and adaptability heretofore generally have not been primary characteristics of known servicers. This not only added to the cost of prior servicers, but also has led to their premature obsolescence.
Moreover, many prior art servicers are extremely complex and occupy an inordinate amount of space. Such servicers could not be readily relocated from one location to another in a tire plant. Movement of the machine often must be accomplished in one piece or after difficult disassembly thereof.